The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 19, 2012
Filed:
Jul. 13, 2009
Timothy R. Chavez, Austin, TX (US);
Lisa S. Deluca, San Francisco, CA (US);
Christina K. Lauridsen, Austin, TX (US);
Sushma B. Patel, Austin, TX (US);
Robert R. Peterson, Austin, TX (US);
Loulwa F. Salem, Austin, TX (US);
Timothy R. Chavez, Austin, TX (US);
Lisa S. DeLuca, San Francisco, CA (US);
Christina K. Lauridsen, Austin, TX (US);
Sushma B. Patel, Austin, TX (US);
Robert R. Peterson, Austin, TX (US);
Loulwa F. Salem, Austin, TX (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
A mechanism is provided for file fragment pricing in a segmented file sharing system. The mechanism allows peers to set a price for distributing a file through the file sharing system. A peer then becomes a file distributor on behalf of an original file provider. The original file provider may compensate the file distributor based on a compensation agreement. The peer's client may be configured to download file fragments from file distributors, or the original file provider, based on preferences, such as price, peer rating, upload speed, or similarity. As a result, a peer may download a file for a price that is less than the original price from the original file provider. Thus, the mechanism provides an incentive for peers to participate in file sharing, which results in larger swarms.